“Daily” “Roundup” 03/22/14: Welcome Back, Baseball

Welcome back, folks. The 2014 season is officially underway, and so are we. Spring Training has its share of bizarre and unpredictable happenings, but it’s just not the same.

If you were looking for us yesterday, between the day-game-after-a-night-game and the time difference, we found it much simpler to just do the Opening Series as a single roundup. So without further ado:

Clayton Kershaw gave up a run.
- That’s the first time in four Opening Day starts he has done that.

Scott Van Slyke hit the first home run of 2014.

In the second game, Adrian Gonzalez stole a base, making him the MLB leader for the next week.
- It was just the sixth stolen base of his career. This will be Gonzalez’s ninth year as a full-time player and he has over 5600 PAs.
– 850 players have accumulated 5000 PAs in their careers, and only four of them have fewer than Gonzalez’s six stolen bases. Two of those, Justin Morneau (5), and Victor Martinez (4), are still active.

Also in this game, both teams drew eight walks.
- Last season, there were only two such nine-inning games (and only two more extra-inning affairs).
– The Dodgers used eight pitchers. That’s tied for the most ever in a nine-inning game without September’s expanded rosters.
— Jamey Wright is still pitching in the Majors.

The Dodgers made four outs on the bases in the two games, including two by Yasiel Puig (and another by Kershaw), and still won both games.